RITA AND LOLITA
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Rita: Every October, my sister the witch, celebrates Halloween and it always reminds me how sad it is that just a few hundred years ago in Salem, people of her ilk were banished from society and never allowed to return. Lolita: That reminds me of a great question to ask some super stars: “Who has left the New England music scene that you would like to see come back? Tell us why?” PAUL MAURAS (Bluesadelic Band): For me I would love to see Rich Gilbert come back to Boston! He’s living in Nashville now. He has made consistently great music for many years now. His last two records Stereo Action Music and Son of Sam (S.A.M.) are really great. I miss The Zulus, Concussion Ensemble etc. *** PAUL NELSON (The Paul Nelson Band/ The Johnny Winter All-Star Band): The band that has left that I would love to see come back is Steelheart who came from Fairfield County in Connecticut. They wanted me to join them back in the day. Their lead singer, Miljenko Matijevic sang Mark Wahlberg’s songs when he played Chris Coles from the band Steel Dragon, in the film Rock Star (2001). I’d like to see them come out again and I’ve heard they are back together and have a new album coming out on Frontier Records. I can’t wait to hear it. And by the way, they call Fairfield County The Golden Coast and we have more sand than California! *** JEFF THOMPSON (The James Montgomery Band): I could name some big time musicians, but to be honest, I miss Lenny Bradford. As a drummer, I know it’s rare to find a bass player with a naturally similar feel. We were tight from note one. And he’s always a great hang. Joe Lewis Walker is lucky to have him playing in his band. *** MARYBETH LINEHAN MAES (Barry Goudreau’s Engine Room): I would have to say Susan Tedeschi. I wouldn’t wish her to be unsuccessful, but if she were still in the Boston area performing, I would have maybe had the chance to meet her and maybe even learn from her. She’s one of a kind; I’m in awe of her vocals and her playing. You don’t hear many women with that skill set on electric. She’s definitely one of my heroes. *** STEVE SWEENEY (Steve Sweeney): Thanks ladies. I was thinking about it. I would love to see Arrowsmith play the Rat Skuller.
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NOTABLE NOTABLES
Rita: How about some fabulous factoids? Now is the perfect time to spread the word about what’s going on in the New England music scene. WAAF radio personality GREG HILL thinking about running for U.S. Representative NIKI TSONGAS‘ open seat say sources close to the Stow republican. He is also the host of The Hill- Man Morning Show. *** Johnny D’s owner CARLA DELELLIS is in Rome with her two teenage daughters for a year’s adventure. The kids will go to school and she will be a mom in Italy. *** ELLIOT EASTON (The Cars) tells us his band THE EMPTY HEARTS will have their sophomore album out early next year. The staff at Guitar Player Magazine just voted him into their Gallery of Greats that will have coverage in their November issue. Elliot: “To say I’m honored would be a huge understatement!” *** Brown University in Rhode Island’s radio station WBRU sold to National Christian Radio. One of America’s most successful and popular college radio stations, for decades WBRU supported the local music scene and featured every Sunday The 360+ Degree Black Experience. Now the new owners will be featuring K- Love’s Encouraging Word which is a daily bible verse to help brighten your day. Jesus Christ. Holy shit. *** CHARLIE FARREN has a great new song “Hold Me Down And Love Me” from his upcoming new release The Powers That Be. The whole album will just have a single guitar track and one vocal track. Charlie’s opening for MOTT THE HOOPLE’s IAN HUNTER November 25 at The Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire. *** DUPPY CONQUERORS with horn man JIM FERRY is at Thunder Road in Somerville on October 6 and BIM SKALA BIM with DAN VITALE will be there October 14. Say hi to the man in charge CHARLIE ABEL who used to run Harper’s Ferry in Allston many moons ago. Dan is the man in charge of the Chet’s Last Call documentary and he tells us to plan ahead for a wild memorial party to honor Chet Rooney on the second anniversary of his passing. It’s in the planning stages right now but it will be held at The Once Ballroom in Somerville on December 10. The documentary will be released very soon too. *** Check out the EVENFALL QUARTET’s Tuesday night residency at The Fairmount Grille in Hyde Park. Lounge jazz in an intimate setting. BRAD HALLEN also plays bass in blues legend DUKE ROBILLARD‘s band. Duke was recently overheard calling blues guitarist BAXTER HALL a “brilliant young guitarist.” Listen for Hall topping off one of Duke’s covers with a “beautiful guitar solo” on their upcoming 2018 Stony Plain Records release. *** Check out RAM every Tuesday at the Coventry, Rhode Island V.F.W. Go sing with The Ram Man. *** This is no joke. STEVE SWEENEY‘s movie Sweeney Killing Sweeney is a dramatic story of him doing his stand up routine in front of six people at a bowling alley in Des Moines. If you don’t believe us go see it for yourself! *** Subway performer and Appalachian roots blues fiddler ILANA KATZ KATZ just had a great gig in Simsbury, Connecticut at the 2 Left Feet Festival where she played some Beatles with MICK KOLASSA and MARK TOLESCA. She was also asked to play for guests at The Simsbury 1820 House, the hotel where she was staying while she was there. Real cool! *** ANDREW GRAVEL sent us a reminder that his band THE GRAVEL PROJECT will be celebrating the release of their latest album Wishful Thinking at Thunder Road November 24. *** QUINN SULLIVAN won Blues Blast Magazine’s 2017 Sean Costello Rising Star Award. Quinn tours with BUDDY GUY and has Grammy Award winner T.H. TOMMY HAMBRIDGE pounding for him in his band too. *** BRUCE ARNOLD (Orpheus) back at Skywalker Ranch to record his brand new single “Man Alive.” *** JOE MACFADZEN‘s band THE BIG SWAY have a new album with ten tracks called Ground Up. Metal and loud guitars. Good arena rock head banging music with a bit of punk, funk and rock and roll. This is their first release with drummer MIKE GRENIER. The cover artwork and concept is done by Macfadzen and they also have a cool vid for the song “Ground Up” on YouTube. The band is just back from a tour of Canada and the Northeast U.S.and plan to be in the studio soon working on their next full length release due out next Spring. *** Version eight of the Old 78 Farm Fall Festival will take place October 7 in the bucolic right to farm community of Warwick, MA. Featuring bands on two stages all day, with local craft vendors, home grown ingredients, award winning food, and face painting and balloon animals by PIXIE BELLE. A day that celebrates all that is amazing about Fall in New England. Here’s the artist line up: PATTY TUITE BAND, RICE: AN AMERICAN BAND,THE DIAMONDSTONES, REBEL ALLIANCE, LUNAR CARNIVAL, DUPPY CONQUERORS, THE ALCHEMYSTICS, FLUX CAPACITOR, and MADEMOISELLE. *** Great gig at The Lizard Lounge the other night for their John Barleycorn Must Live show with all the bands performing the music of TRAFFIC from their first three albums. MR. FANTASY, JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE and THE LOW SPARK OF HIGH HEELED BOYS. Here was the house band: JEROME DUPREE, MILT REDER, BILLY LOOSIGIAN, ED RIEMER, PHIL AIKEN, PAUL AHLSTRAND and YAHUBA. The singers: ABBIE BARRETT, JEN KEARNEY, JENNA MARKARD, CHRIS COTE, JOHN POWHIDA, and CORIN ASHLEY. *** BRIAN BAHIA tells us that his new gig. MUSIC IDB, a venue calendar service with a searchable data base of events, artists, and venues has released version 2.6 of their platform. With this release visitors at Music IDB powered venue websites (like Sculler’s Jazz Club, Haze and The Stone Church) can enjoy embedded music and YouTube video content of upcoming artists instantly, without leaving the calendar and events lists on these sights. Venue managers or artists themselves simply embed the content on the artist’s pages within Music IDB and that content appears within the calendars across the web. This is a complimentary service for artists to provide information to venues and offers free and pro-level accounts for venue bookers and promoters. For more info visit their website. Brought to you by: BRIAN BAHIA, DAN SHEDD, GREG GERVAIS and MITCH CANDIANO. *** We just heard “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” from DAN LAWSON. This brand new track is from THE DAN LAWSON BAND’s upcoming CD called The Abyssal Plain. JOHN CAFFERTY gave Dan a song for the album as well. DAN LAWSON on growling guitar and vocals, JASON ADAMS on bass and vocals, and PAUL DILLON behind the kit. This will be a great guitar CD out the first of next year. *** Guitarist DANNY REYES told us his band DEVIOUS INTENTIONS has their record release party October 14 at The New Old Oak in Merrimac, MA. with SHADOWLYNX, BLOODY KISSES, and CALUMON. STEVE NADOINA will be making his debut to open the show. Hosted by ASMYRELDA. *** CHANDLER TRAVIS and his band THE CATBIRDS will be at The Wellfleet Oyster Fest on The Cape October 15, and on October 26 at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge. He also has a private event in Eastham on October 25. The Noise thinks you should do some research and track down and crash Chandler’s private performance and see what he’s really up to. If it’s not music it could be illegal and definitely is immoral . Tell him Rita and Lolita sent you.
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MORE GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Lolita: Enough gossip! Let’s get back to asking another local legend who is out of sight but not out of mind. JOHN KEEGAN (Boston Groupie News): Philin Phlash. I didn’t know him but I really dig his quintessential black and white shots of the early, local hardcore scene. *** SARA LEKETA, LISA ADDARIO, JUSTINE KLEIN, JONI SCIMONE and RACHEL CLAYTON (Aerochix): Naturally, we’d love to see any and all members of Aerosmith return to Boston for some high energy, ass kickin’ performances! Imagine a club tour? Rock it Mama Kin style! The Bad Girls of Boston (collectively). *** STASH WYSLOUCH (The Stash Band): I’d like to see Rushad Eggleston come back to the Boston music scene. The revolutionary cello-goblin from outer-space has created a whole music, genre, vocabulary, and world for himself. If he came back to Boston I’d make sure to go check out his weekly residence as often as possible. You never know what will happen at a Rushad show, and that’s the best. *** MICHAEL P. AROIAN (Elsewhere): Wow, such a loaded question. I have wanted so many bands to come back including The Doosies, Blau Zur, Underball, Bison, The Sheila Divine (in a more regular way) and Machinery Hall. But by far I would love to see Mistle Thrush make a go of it again. They were one of the few bands to truly push the envelope of musicianship and songwriting and make progressive leaning rock both epic and accessible. I am truly in awe of what they were able to sonically accomplish and in the back of my mind they are a benchmark for what I want my band to pursue artistically. Someone get me a time machine! *** JOHNBOY FRANKLIN (Johnboy Franklin): I would love to see Face to Face again for a one-off show.
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INSIGNIFICA
Lolita: Back to babbling! ROBIN LANE is now a grandmother. EVANGELINE and EVAN‘s beautiful baby girl born VIVIENNE WILDE LANE CARTER. File under When Things Go Right. *** Gimme The Shakes on Nantasket at The Muse on October 27 with THE DOGMATICS. Raise some eyebrows and wear your best costume on the ferry to the island and the costume contest at the club. OTTER CONTROL opening this great gig. *** The Providence, Rhode Island music scene is taking another hit (WBRU, Aurora) and this one is really bad. Downtown Providence has had a Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel hosting bands since 1975. The location will now be The Strand Ballroom and Theatre. Thanks RICH LUPO for your decades of support. Work is already in progress. *** Rocking new song from Connecticut’s THE JAY WILLIE BLUES BAND called “Hittin’ on Nothin’ ” featuring fantastic vocalist MALORIE LEOGRANDE. JAY WILLIE is on guitar, BOBBY T is doing thepounding and CORBIT MACDONALD is on bass. Recorded at Long Hill Recording in Shelton, CT. Check out the rocking r & b video of this super song on YouTube. *** Jam band ELLIS ASHBROOK announcing the release of their long awaited fourth record The Space Police due out October 19. Stay tuned for the date of the release party. *** The BROOKS YOUNG BAND opening up for THREE DOG NIGHT October 7 at The Cabot on the North Shore in Beverly. *** Speaking of The Cabot, they recently raised a ton of money to redesign and install a new HVAC system in the nearly one hundred year old historic theatre. The expensive attic repair is almost finished and they are beginning phase two of the renovation. ARLO GUTHRIE will be at this cool club for his Thanksgiving Alice’s Restaurant show on November 17. Don’t be a turkey and miss this iconic performance. *** THE NEIGHBORHOODS have a new album coming out soon. *** ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS’ sophomore CD Big Road is coming out soon and it’s got everything from acoustic blues to electric slide guitar, boogie blues, funk and soul. *** Fourteen year old vocalist extraordinaire NICOLE MICHELLE has been cast in a new feature film Love From India that will also include her song “Goodbye.” *** Epic event on Cape Cod is the Rockin’ The Tombstones Benefit at The Order Of Moose 2270 in South Yarmouth on October 28 featuring THE JODY MOORE BAND and D.J. REEZY. Proceeds to benefit The Wounded Warriors Project. There’s a costume contest too! *** MAGIC DICK (The J. Geils Band) and SHUN NG will be celebrating the release of their CD at Boston’s new venue The City Winery January 6. No better way to bring in the New Year. *** Connecticut guitarist PAUL NELSON (The Paul Nelson Band, The Johnny Winter All-Star Band) produced the latest release from Southern Rockers OTIS and he plays guitar on a track and takes blues rock to a higher level. *** AINE MINOQUE has a new ten-song CD In The Name Of Stillness. Her sparse and somber music makes us smile. *** Vocalist KIMBA BATTIS (K.B. & The Storm) and her other band MANCINI SOUL PROJECT with guitarist JAKE JURJACK has a gig October 13 at a new club in Hopedale, MA called Liz’s Diamond Bar and Grille aka Liz Diamond’s. Show your support and show up. *** Gloucester singer/ songwriter/ guitarist MIKE O’CONNELL is a Cape Ann gem. He recently gigged at PARKER WHEELER’s famous weekly jam at The Grog in Newburyport and brought his brand of bold and swampy rock and blues and added some original tunes from his CD Walk Upon The Earth. On stage with him was TOM WEST (Peter Wolf) on keys, drummer MIKE LEVESQUE (David Bowie), bassist STEVE MONAHAN and AMADEE CASTENELL on sax with host Wheeler on harp. *** Boston family favorite MISTER G celebrates Mundo Verde/ Green World with an album release concert for all ages October 22 at The Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline. Mister G is a kid friendly bilingual rock star and a Latin Grammy winner too. *** CARLA RYDER‘s new record is being mixed this month. Backing vocals on it are done by SUSAN CATTANEO, KIMON KIRK, JAMES ROHR, JEFF CHARLAND and SEAN STAPLES. Check her out October 15 at The Roslindale Fall Fest in Rozzie. Pumpkin and cider and all things autumn. She’ll be playing an acoustic set with ANDREW INNES and then back to The Lizard Lounge on October 19 to sing two songs at The Sixth Annual Daniel Pearl Music Day show with a killer house band TONY SAVARINO & THE SAVTONES including guest singers SUSAN CATTANEO, JENEE HALSTEAD, ALI MCGUIRK, ERICA MANTONE, STEPH ROGERS, CHRIS WAGNER and JAKE BUSH. *** Worcester band FATHOM FAREWELL having a great gig October 6 at The Worcester Palladium with ISSUES, DEVIL WEARS PRADA, VOLUMES, SILENT PLANET, BARBARIAN, and HALF HEARTED. *** Fun ED WENZEL (bassist for The Red White & Blues Band) Fact: CYNDIE LAUPER and him had a band called FLYER back in the day and played throughout New England. *** On October 27 DOPAPOD will release their fifth studio album Megagem coinciding with a cross-country tour the band will end with a New Year’s Eve show in Boston where they started. *** MAYOR MARTY WALSH and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture announced the successful completion of projects created by ten artists selected for the City of Boston’s artist-in-residence program, Boston AIR. Mayor Walsh: “The Boston AIR program has been incredibly successful at elevating the importance of bringing the arts closer to the heart as we do as a city.” *** Lead singer HEATHER JOSEPH of CHEMICAL Z tells us the band just won Best Blues Band In Connecticut in The Hartford Reader’s Poll Awards. Chemical Z is a modern blues band out of New Haven that takes their music to the next level by fusing the blues with rock and funk and catchy hooks. Heather and her Joplin influenced vocals is backed by JOHN MCCARTHY on STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN meets SLASH guitar, STEVE CIOPPA on drums, ROB LIPTROT on bass, and MIKE GOLEMBESKI on keys. They’ve just finished recording their self- titled debut album on the label Horizon Music and will have their party November 2 at The Elm City Music Festival at Terminal 110 in New Haven. *** Tube Fest is New England’s all- instrumental music showcase and will be held at The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain October 28 with THE FATHOMS, MATT HEATON & THE 9TH WAVE, THE DERRANGERS, ELECTRIC HEATERS, THE SPY TONES, and TSUNAMI OF SOUND. Mimes get in free. *** JEFF THOMPSON is the dynamic drummer in THE JAMES MONTGOMERY BAND. He is also an actor and has a voice over in the recently released movie Stronger, a flick about the Boston Marathon Massacre. He also appears in a national advert for Dannon Yogurt as a farmer which is pretty ironic since he actually grew up on a farm. From Turkey Drum Sticks To Vic Firth Drum Sticks would be the title of his autobiography if we wrote it.
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FINAL GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Rita: And now for the last of our memorable musicians. HEATHER JOSEPH (Chemical Z): There have been many great artists in CT who I’ve witnessed perform over my years. I think of all that are no longer playing or no longer in CT, the most influential for me, and therefore the one I’d wish to see perform again is Kris Keyes (Gargantua Soul). I didn’t know of them in their earlier years, but was introduced to them many years ago by their drummer, Opus (Dead By Wednesday), when we were in a band together. I was lucky enough to witness a reunion show at a venue in Bridgeport, I can’t remember the name of it, maybe The Avenue, about seven or so years ago. I was blown away. Particularly by Kris. From the bright colors and patterns of his full- body make up, to his vocal ability and his performance, he had what they call the total package or it. He truly emoted every single lyric that came out of his mouth, connected constantly to his music and art and to the crowd. Truly a consummate artist. He was a great inspiration for me when it comes to my performance on stage. He’s since moved to California and is pursuing his career out there. It would be awesome to be able to watch him perform again. *** ALEX COHEN (Fathom Farewell): This is certainly a far throw back but two Boston bands I rarely ever see playing Boston are Pixies and Guster. Been dying to see them both in MA. if not Boston specifically. *** MARC ALAN (Factory Underground): I remember when I was a kid about thirteen, growing up in Queens, NY. My older brother who had gone away to college in Boston told me about an amazing band he had seen called The Cars. I remember walking into my local Korvettes a year later and seeing the album Candy-O on the shelf and I was in love. Sure, it had been for the Vargas girl on the cover, but I wore out that record, and Elliot Easton became one of my first musical heroes. It was The Cars that drew me to go visit my brother in Boston in the summer of 1979. I remember walking around Harvard Square, soaking up the energy of the street performers. I heard a guy on an acoustic guitar ripping through “Summertime Blues.” The same day I bought a used LP of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and that really changed my life. These days, I live and work in Downtown Norwalk, CT, where I am involved in promoting a thriving music and art scene of our own. When I think about the exciting vibrancy of Boston that I experienced growing up, I’m proud of the work my company Factory Underground has done to create some of that here. We are a 7000 square foot recording and media production studio right in the heart of town. We recently hosted Nile Rogers of Chic, and Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, among the regulars that call the Factory home. I’m also really proud to have Paul Nelson working with us; he is an incredible guitarist who is most well known for his work with Johnny Winter. I recently had the pleasure of traveling with to Cape Cod where Paul performed at Hope Fest, an incredible day. My business partner Ethan Isaac was there singing for Paul as well. Having Paul and Ethan share the stage with members of Boston, Foghat, James Montgomery, and of course the still incredible Elliot Easton was like being 13 years old all over again. I never want to lose that feeling. *** ED WENZEL (The Red White & Blues Band): As far as bands that I wish were back, that would be the original J. Geils Band. They had it all. Entertaining, great songs and they helped open people’s eye to some of the great blues and r&b artists who weren’t getting their proper due. Sadly with J. passing away it can’t happen. Rita: Great answers! Sounds like a good time to end the column. Lolita: Enjoy October and Halloween and see you next month!